Fur-unhairing machine



April 9, 1940.

J. GOLDING FUR UNHAIRING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 9, 1936 J04 us GOLD/N6 ATTORNEYS April 9, 1940. J. GOLDING I FUR UNHAIRING MACHINE Filed July 9, 1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. J01 /u5 GOLD/N6 644 46 ATTORNEY? April 9, 1940. J. GOLDING' FUR UNI-IAIRING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 9. 1936 mvszwoa. J04 ms Gaza/Na 6/ ATTORNEYS April 9, 1940.

FUR UNHAIRING MACHINE .Filed July 9, 1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 9 JUL ws Gaza/N6 ATT RNEY J. 'GOLDING 2,196,672

April 9, 1940. Q OLDM I 2,196,672

FUR UNI-IA IRING MACHINE Filed July 9, 1936 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. 7/

8 JUL/U8 GOLD/N6 ATTORNEYS p p f d i t n, a t v v a i 2,196,672 v k j FUR- UNHAIRJNGJMAGHINE Julius Golding, Whippan'y, N. 1., ,assignor to Unity Machine-Corporation, Newark, N. J., a. corporation of New Jersey Application lulyifig1936,'Serial{No. 89,716 p ii' ol'ei e. (o1. 149456"), s H My inventionrelates to improvements m ;fur- Figure l is ,a simplified elevational view, loo

-UNITEDfffsTAr-is PATENT OFFICE unhairing machines for removing thejstiff" or'waing at one'side of the machine; v p ter hairs from theskins 'of'fur bearinganim'als Fig 1a is a sectional view, the section being whereby the quality of the fur and its value'fr'om taken onthe line I'd-la in Fig. 1; p a commercial standpoint areincreased. gaJ p ed v ha view,'look n 5 Machines of the character referredgto comat the other S Of the machine; prise, generally,"anendless canvas apronrnount Fig. 2a is an elevational view of a beater. for edon rollers, one or more of whichare'driven flufiing up'the fury I p r to carry the pelts, pi'nned for otherwisesecured Fig. 3 is an end elevational'view of the ma- 0 t0 the canvas, over a stretcher-bar with an inch e, looki tow rd th right i F I termittent, relatively slow movement; As the Fig. {311' is'a fragmentary, plan view of the pelts pass over theYedge .,oi,this"bar,the finer canvas apron and associ ted parts forholding hairs are separated from the stiff or water hairs the pelts;

by a. rotary brush after whichrknives or shears Fig. 3b is an enlargedjview, taken from Fig. comeinto iay' to, cut' of: the stifi hairs. In m nowi he securi pron for the pe s; 15 practice there is generallya substantial space 'g.- C is aSeGtiQn 0h theiine 3c3c in Fi left between the adjacent pelts In the various v machines constructed e'heretofora the canvas j Fig. 4 is a sectional view, the section being apron is always moved intermittently and at the taken on fi .F

relatively slow rate; whether or-not a pelt 'atthe 5 is a enlarged Sectional e 20 n time is passing over the edgeo-f the stretcher-bar. tiOn being taken n the 11116 i These machines of the.,pr1 i m j tpg t f 'Eig Ew, is Ia sectional view,, the section'heing an unnecessarily long time, for the "canvas taken onthe' 1i1'ie'.5a,--'5a in Fig. l; apron to make one complete triparound its sup T enlarged e y V w taken porting ro11ers v Y fromFig I, and partlyin section, the section 25- In the fur-unhairing machinesused heretofore, he eak the l e 1 v all of the desired actions are not carried; on en- 7 is -p .VieW -.Q ,1? g-v s tirely automatically, so that theattentipntof the i a a enlarged Sectional i h 60- operator to someof these is required. L t v, e taken n i e i a in Fi 7; 1 a With the foregoing in mind, it-is one'of the F s en d io l viewi 30 objects of my invention to provide an improved t h b rt 011 the line 8+ in fur-unhairing machine oi-the character referred F '1 ec iona i the Sectioniiheing to in which, as each pelt passes heyond the .t eh 'h; lih in g-,3; v, I stretcher-bar and a blamespace begins to ;pass 9 an em Sectional View, the ec- 435 over the latter, movementof the canvas is autoion na n bhthe l n 3; n

" 0 July 19; 1935.

matically speeded up and changed from the ,;in-

51a s c ionalview; e s n being termittent, relatively slow movement to a movetaken n th e'i i F ment at a relatively high and constant rate unreference t the aw h ef r n e til the next pelt comes intoposition atthe edge numeral d s n te eame (if-the machine 40 of the styetcher bar l I I inwhich journaled a drive shaft H which is 40 Another object of my inventiont is' to provide lfp' t onti m-l constantltrt? y an improved fur-unhairing machine obthejchar- PhW'er supDh t e pu y a t aster referred to in which all of, the desired op- T fi mtt rolleljs- M i erations are carried on automatically, so that about theca'nVaS: m none of theserequire theattention of the opera- The ca'nvas aplzroyn n prmlide with s of tor, the features of invention in the present apv r m of improvements Earnest-tiara myyco'pendmg h t ia Nq' {fi t et pelts l9 are placed to hold them for move- I l s n mentalongywrththecanvas apron. Canvasflaps Other objects a d a van e i lth ihh 20 cover up thes e front edgeportions of, the pelts appear. p to assist in holding them in place to pass proper- For the purpose of illustrating my invention, an ly'over the rollers and around the stretoher bar. embodiment thereofis shown in the drawings, A roller 2loperates to ,guide both sides 9f the Q5 wherein, 1 canvas apron at the stretcher bar. 5'5

the drive shaft up It will be seen that in this For the purpose of imparting intermittent .movement to the canvas apron at the relatively slow rate, as the pelts pass around the stretcherbar, a ratchet mechanism, designated generally by the reference numeral 22, is operated from the drive shaft II by arod 23 journaled' at its lower end to a crank pin 24. The ratchet mechanism includes a ratchet wheel 25 fixedon a shaft 26 to which is also fixed a gear 21 which meshes with another gear 28. The gear 28 is fixed with respect to the roller I3 and for rotation about the same axis of rotation as the latter. From the foregoing it will be seen that as the drive shaft rotates continuously and at a constant "rate;

the driving roller I3 is caused to rotate inte mittently and at a relatively slow rate to impart the same movement to the canvas apron IT. A holding dog 29 is associated with the ratchet wheel 25, as shown in Fig. 1.

As the pelts pass around the edge of the stretcher-bar I6, a rotary brush 30 operates to brush down the hairs directly at the edge of this bar. The brush 30 is supported for rotation on i a spindle 3| journaled in the ends of'bars 32 and 33. The rear end of the bar 33 is pivotally connected by a pin'34 to a rocker arm 35 fixed on a shaft 36. g

The brush 30 is driven from the drive shaft II through a sprocket gear 3? fixed on the latter, a

sprocket chain 38,' a sprocket gear 39 loose on the shaft '36, a gear 40 also loose on the shaft 36 and fixed for rotation with the sprocket gear 39,

a gear 4| which meshes with the gear 40 and is rotatable on the pin 34 fixed in the bar 33, a sprocket gear 42 loose on the pin 34 and fixed for rotation with the gear M, a sprocket chain 43, a sprocket 44 rotatable on a pin 45 carried by the bar 33, a gear 46 loose on the pin 45 and fixed for rotation with the sprocket gear 44, and a gear 4'!- which meshes with the gear and is fixed on the spindle 3i.

A spring 48 operates to exert a downward pull on the bar 33 to keep a roller 49 always in contact with a fixed cam surface 50, the roller being carried by the bar 33.

The bar,32 is provided with a similar roller 5I, and is supported in the same manner and for the samemovement as the bar 33.

Movement is imparted to the rocker arm '35 by a tension spring 52 and a rod 53 having a bifurcatedend 54 which embraces the drive shaft I I. This end of the rod 53 carries a roller 55 which is always held, by the action of the tension spring 52, in engagement with the surface 56 .of a cam 5'! fixedon the drive shaft II.

The means for'cutting off the stiff or water hairs of the pelts comprises a knifeblade 58 car'- secured to the ends of arms 63 which are fixed on a shaft 64.

The'blade 58 is caused to oscillate by an eccen tric 65 which is loose on the drive shaft II and which is connected by a rod 66 to the supporting structure of the knife 58. to rotate from the drive shaft II through a sprocket gear 67 fixed on the shaft 64, a sprocket chain 68, and a sprocket gear 69 which is loose on the drive shaft II, andwhich is fixed to a collar 10 also loose on the shaft II. This collar is fixed tov theeccentric 65 as shownin Fig. 11, and is provided with an annular groove, II. A

bolt I2 extends through the collar I0 and the "eccentric 65, and the end thereof is held by a loose on. the shaft 91.

The blade 62 is caused.

I shaft.

For the purpose of causing the canvas apron I? to speed up automatically when the spaces between the pelts are passing around the stretcherbarIIG, brush rollers 16 and T! are provided and are disposed as shown more clearly in Fig. 6.

The roller 16 is supported from arms-I8 and 19 pivotally connected to straps which are fixed to the frame'of the machine. A shoe 6| engages the roller I6 and is supported by links 82 rigidly bolted at their upper ends to arms 03 fixed on a shaft 84. The shoe BI is yieldingly held against the brush I6 by a tension spring 85 connected to an arm 86 which is fixed to the shaft 84. Also fixed to the shaft 84 is a switch member' 87 provided at its lower end'with an electrical contact 88 disposed to engage a fixed contact 89.

The brush roller 1! is supported from arms 90 at oppositeends thereof and which are fixed on a shaft 9| to which is also fixed a switch arm 92 [provided at its lower end with an electrical contact 93 disposed for engagement with a fixed contact 94. The brush I1. is yieldingly held in contact with the canvas apron I1 by a tension spring 95connected to anarm 96 fixed on the shaft 9|.

' The'canvasapron I1 is driven at the constant, relatively high rate of speed from a' shaft 97 through a sprocket gear 98 fixed on this shaft, a sprocket chain 99, a sprocket gear I00 mounted on the shaft 26 through a conventional freerunning clutch or 'so-called free-wheeling device IOI, the gear21, and the gear 28. The drive 'roller I3'and the gear 28 are supported'for rotaa sprocket chain I06, and a sprocket'gear I6"! loosely mounted on the shaft 91 and fixed with respect to a friction clutch part I08 which is also Complementary to the clutch part I09 is another clutch part I09 splined to the shaft 91. Upon excitation of an electromagnet IIO of any suitable construction, a lever III is caused to pivot about its supporting pin II2 to cause movement of a collar II 3 tothe left, as viewed in Figs. 4 and 5, whereupon the clutch parts I08 and I09 are engaged to cause the shaft 91 to rotate, the collar I I3 being splined on this shaft.

Mounted on the shaft 91 is a sprocket gear H4 and a free-running clutch or free-wheeling device II5, the arrangement being such that when the shaft 91, is rotated in a clockwise direction, asviewed in Fig. 1, the sprocketgear H4 is ro tated'with this shaft, but if the-shaft 9'! ceases to rotate, the sprocket gear I I4 can continue to rotate in the clockwise direction, for the purpose WhiChWill hereinafter appeal respect'to a flywheel II8 fixed on a shaft H9.

I36 for pivotal movement.

port a roller I49 provided with prongs I58.

chain 99. The sprocket Associated with the fly-wheel I I8 is a weight I28 pivotally mounted on a pin I2I fixed in the flywheel, and another weight I22 pivotally mounted on a pin I23 also fixed in the flywheel. The pin I2I has a sliding fit in an arcuate slot I24 with which the weight I22-is provided, and the pin I23 has a sliding fit in an arcuate slot I25 rotation to tilt bell cranks I28 and'l29 and movepins I38 and I3l tothe right so that their ends project outwardly beyond the sprocket gear III, as shown. In this position of these rods, a thrust bearing I32 on the shaft I89 'presses'against a pivotally mounted lever I33 to place the latter in the position shown.

The lever I33 is connected by a rod I34a to the arm I35 of a belt crank supported by a bolt A lever I31, mounted for pivotal movement on a pin I39, rests on the end of the arm I39 of the bell crank, and is held in engagement therewith by a tension spring I48. The lever I31 is disposed as more clearly shown in Figs. 10 and 11, so that when it is raised, the

end portion I4I thereof is moved into the path of a cam surface I420; with which the bolt 12 is provided, to withdraw the bolt from the socket I4, whereupon the eccentric and the sprocket gear 69 are disconnected from rotation withthe drive shaft II to stop movement of the knife blades 58 and 62.

The lever I33 is connected by a rod I42 to a bell crank I43 supported at I44 for pivotal movement to pull in on or let out a flexible connection I45.

The connection I45 is connected to the end of an arm I48 fixed on a shaft I41. Arms I48, fixed to the shaft I41 at opposite ends thereof, sup- Also fixed on the shaft I4! is an arm I5I carrying at its free end a weight I52. As shown in Fig. 6, each of the prongs I58 is disposed at an angle to the radial line from the axis of rotation of the roller I49.

As shown in Fig. l, the switches 88, 89 and 93, 94 are connected in parallel inthe supply circuit for the electromagnet II8, so that when either one of these switchesis closed the electromagnet is energized to apply the clutch I88, I89, the electromagnet being deenergized and this clutch released when both of these switches are open.

The operation of the machine will now be explained.

With the switches 88, 89 and 93, 94 closed, the clutch I88, I89 will be applied so that the shaft 9'! is driven from the shaft II, rotating in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1. The drive roller I3 is now rotatingcontinuously at the relatively high rate of speed on account of the connection to the shaft gear H4 is also rotating in the clockwise direction as to cause the flywheel II8 to whereupon the pins with the shaft 91 viewed in Fig. l, also rotate in this direction, I38 are held push to the left on the rod I34, as viewed in Fig.

- with the shaft II.

ergize the electromagnet 91, providedby the sprocket in the position shown to cause thelever I33 to pull to the right on the rod I42 and this action, movement of above, the lever I3Iwill be held inthe raised position .to keep the bolt 12 withdrawn from the socket I4, whereupon the eccentric 85 and the sprocket gear 69 are disconnected from rotation The knives 58 and 82 are therefore stationary, and the disposition of the lever I3! is such that the knives come to rest about at the respective positions shown in Fig. 1.

Also, the rod I42, having been pulled to the right,

as viewed in Fig. A, the fie ble connection I45 will have been taken in to raise the roller I49 against theaction of the weight I52, so that the prongs I58 do not touch the canvas apron H as the part thereof between the pelts I9 passes under the roller I49.

brush 16, the shoe 8I- is raised to rotate the shaft described. However,'the energizing circuit for the electromagnet II8 remains completebecause the switch 93, 94 is still closed. When the pelt is drawn under the brush 1! the switch 93, 94 is also opened to deen- II8 and release the clutch I88, I89. The shaft 91 then stops, but on account of the free-running clutch II5 the flywheel II8 can continue to rotate: under the moment of inertia which has been stored in it.

The knife blades 58 and82, therefore, still remain stationary, until the flywheel finally slows down sufficiently to drop the lever I31 and thereby cause the eccentric 65 and the sprocket 69 to be driven from the shaft II. The weight of the flywheel II8'and the arrangement and relation of the various parts are such that even after the clutch I88, I89 is released, and the canvas apron again is moved intermittently at the relatively low rate, the knives remain stationary until the brush 38 has an opportunity of making several strokes to sufficiently pelt at the edge of the stretcher-bar before the knives start cutting. I

When the flywheel II8 stops rotating after release of the clutch I88, I89, the pins I38 and I3I are withdrawn to the and 9, to permit the bolt I2 to enter the socket 14 and also to permit the roller I49 to drop upon the pelt under the action of the weight I52. The knives 58 and 62 are then set into motion, and the prongs I58 enter into the pelt to act as a brake so that the pelts cannot slide ahead under the brushing action of the brush 38. For this purpose, the bearings for the roller I49 are set snug, so there is a drag against rotation of this roller.

The canvas apron by are .now being moved intermittently at the relatively'low rate, under the action of the ratchet mechanism driven from the drive shaft through the connecting rod 23. I

The arrangement and relation of the various parts and connectionsare such that during the periods of movement of the pelts around the stretcher-bar, the brush 38 is in its forward position to brush down all the hairs, and the knives 58* and 62 are beginning to approach each other for the out. Just as movement of the pelt is about to cease, the brush 38 is withdrawn, and immediately thereafter the stiff water hairs spring out again, but the finer hairs do not. At about this instant, movement of thepelt will have ceased, and the stiff hairs which at this instant are the only ones which stick out in position to be cut. After the pelt again starts brush out, the hairs of the left, as. viewed in Figs. 8

d the pelts carried there.

As the-neXt-pelt I9 is drawn under the roller the knives will engage to cut to raise both rollers It I switches 88, 8.! and 93,

and the brush 3!] is movedforwardto brush down the next succeeding hairs which arenow directly at the edge of the stretcher-bar I6.

This cycle of operation is repeated until the pelt passes entirely around the edge of the stretcher-bar. Assoon as the pelt has passed the roller I6 to permit the switch 88, 89 to close, the electromagnet III will again. .be energized to apply the clutch I08, I09, whereupon movement of the knives 58 and B2 ceases and the canvas apron is again caused to move, at the constant and relatively high rate of speed. As before, this action and the condition of the various parts continues until the next pelt moves into position and TI and open both 94; to again release the The operation and action of the various parts is then repeated as explained above. On account of the angular disposition of the prongs I50, they easily enter into and are easily withdrawn from the pelts as the latter pass along and cause the roller I 49 to rotate in the clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 6.

It is proposed to place a roller I 53 ahead of the roller I49 to roll the pelts flat against the canvas apron before they engage with the roller I49. The roller I53 is pressed downwardly against the canvas apron and the pelts by springs I54 disposed at the ends thereof.

The shape and disposition of the cam surface 50 is such that when the brush 3!] is fully advanced, as shown in Fig. 6 by dash lines, it is directly at the edge of the stretcher-bar, and the shape of the cam 56 is such as to keep the brush 30 at this point as long as possible before the knives make the out. In this way, the eiTect of the brush 30 to brushdown the hairs is prolonged as much as possible and until the very instant that the knives 58 and B2 begin to come into play to cut the stiff hairs which spring out instantly after the effect of the brush is removed. Therefore, all of the stiff hairs are cut off without cutting any of the desired, finer hairs.

A hand lover I 55 is provided for pressing down on the end I56 of the lever I37 to provide means for the operator to stop movement of the knives 58 and 62 if he might desire to do so at any time.

Clutch I08, I09.

For the purpose of holding the pelts up after they have passed the roller TI, it is proposed to stretch a canvas slip I51 between bars I58l and I59 so that the upper part I65 thereof is slightly below and parallel to the lower section. of the canvas apron I1. The pelts, therefore, are supported by the part I69 until they'pass over and beyond the roller I5. i

For the purpose of. knocking off the pelts from the canvas apron after they have passed beyond the roller I 5, a beater Hil is disposed at'the position shown and is rotated from the shaft 36 through sprocket chains I62 and I63. As shown more clearly in Fig. 2a, the beater IfiI comprises a plurality of relatively stiff leather or flexible metal straps IIM fixed to and extending radially outwardly from a supporting shaft I65. After the pelts pass beyond the roller I5, they hang down from the flaps Z0, and in continuing on are struck by the beater I6! and knocked off the canvas apron. The beater IGI also has the effect of fluffing up the fur. I

The pressure exerted by the rollers 2! and the brush I53 on the pelts as they pass through smoothens or straightens them out on the canvas apron.

The brush I6 performs the functions of holding the hair under it during the cutting operation and of operating the switch 88, 89 'by'raising or lowering the shoe 8I, as explained.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided animproved fur-unhairing machine in which all of the-desired operating steps are accomplished entirely automatically, and in which provision is made for automatically speeding up the operation of the machine after each pelt has passed around the stretcher-bar and until the next pelt comes into position.

Although I have disclosed but one embodiment of my invention, it will be seen that various modifications and changes, such as in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts, might be made without departing from the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means, means for supporting a pelt and moving it with respect to the cutting means to cause thelatter to cut hairs of the pelt, means for driving said cutting means, means for brushing down the hairs of the pelt and movable for such purpose into and out of a position to brush the hairs about to be cut, means for causing said cutting-means and said brushing means to perform their respective functions alternately, means for imparting movement to said supporting means at a relatively slow rate during the hair-cutting operation, means for imparting movement to said supporting means at a relatively high rate, means for causing said seventh-named means to function only during the periods preceding and subsequent to thehair-cutting period, and means for disconnecting said cutting means from its driving means while the supporting means is moving rapidly and for a short period after the rapid movement ceases, only said brushing means functioning during said last period.

2. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means, means for supporting a pelt and moving it with respect to the cutting means to cause the latter to cut hairs of the pelt, means for driving said cutting means, and a roller provided with prongs and supported for movement to and out of a position whereat the roller presses against the pelt and the prongs pierce the pelt and withdraw therefrom as it moves on, and means supporting said roller for rotation and set to cause a drag against rotation of the roller.

3. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means, means for supporting a pelt and moving it with respect to thecutting means to cause the latter to cut hairs of the pelt, means for flufiing up the fur of the pelt after the hair-cutting operation comprising a rotatable shaft disposed below said supporting means and a plurality of relatively flexible beater elements each fixed at one end thereof to said shaft, and means for rotating said shaft whereby said elements become effective to beat against the pelt to fluff up the fur thereof and to knock off the pelt from said supporting means.

4. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means, means for supporting a pelt and moving it at a given rate with respect to the cutting means whereby the latter may cut the stiff or water hairs of the pelt, and means responsive to movement of said supporting means for increasing the rate of movement thereof subsequent to completion of the hair-cutting operation by the cutting means including a movable roller for engagement with a pelt on said supporting means, a shoe engaging the top of said roller and a switch associated with said member and responsive to movements of said spirit of my I roller for making or disrupting a circuit which controls the rate of movement of the supporting means.

5. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means, means for supporting a pelt and moving it at a given rate with respect to the cutting means whereby the latter may cut the stiff or water hairs of the pelt, and means responsive to movement of said supporting means for increasing the rate of movement thereof subsequent to completion of the hair-cutting operation by the cutting means including a pair of movable members normally in engagement with the supporting means, each of the movable members controlling an individual switch, said switchesbeing conn-ected in parallel in a circuit which controls the rate of movement of the supporting means.

6. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means, means for supporting a pelt and moving it with respect to the cutting means whereby the latter may cut the stiff or water hairs of means for driving said cutting means, means for brushing down the smooth hairs of the pelt which are not to be cut, means for causing said cutting means and said brushing means to perform their respective functions alternately, means for im parting movement to said supporting means at a relatively slow rate during the hair-cutting operation, means for imparting movement to said supporting means at a relatively high rate during the periods preceding and subsequent to the haircutting operation, means for disconnecting said cutting means from the driving means for the latter periods, and inertia means effective to keep the cutting means inoperative for a short period after said seventh-named means ceases to function whereby only said brushing means functions during said period.

7. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means,

means for supporting a pelt and moving it with respect to the cutting means whereby the latter may cut the stiff or water hairs. of the pelt, means for driving said cutting means, means for brushing down tne smooth hairs of the pelt which are not to be cut, means for causing said cutting means and said brushing means to perform their respective functions alternately, means for imparting movement to said supporting means at a relatively slow rate during the hair-cutting operation, means for imparting movement to said supporting means at a relatively high rate during the periods preceding and subsequent to the haircutting operation, means for disconnecting said cutting means from the driving means for the latter periods, and inertia means, acting in conjunction witn an over-running clutch, effective to keep the cutting means inoperative for a short period after said seventh-named means ceases to function whereby only said brushing means functions during said period.

the pelt,

8. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means, means for supporting a pelt and moving it at a given rate with respect to the cutting means whereby the latter may cut the stiff or water hairs of the pelt, means for driving said cutting means, means responsive to movement of said supporting means for increasing the rate of movement thereof subsequent to completion of the hair-cutting operation by the cutting ,means, clutch means for disconnecting the cutting means from the driving means, and centrifugal control means responsive to said increased rate of movement of said supporting means for automatic control of the clutch means. I

9. In a fur-unhairing machine, cuttingmeans, means for supporting a pelt and moving it at a given rate with respect to the cutting means whereby the latter may cut the stiff or water hairs of the pelt, means for driving said cutting means, means responsive to movement of said supporting means for increasing the rate of movement thereofsubsequent to completion. of the hair-cutting operation by the cutting means, means responsive to said increased rate of movement of said supporting means for automatically disconnecting the cutting means from the driving means, and a pivoted lever for. manually disconnecting the cutting means from the driving means at the will of the operator.

, 10. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means, means for supporting a pelt and moving it with respect to the cutting means whereby the latter may cut the stiff or water hairs of the pelt, means for brushing down the smooth hairs of the pelt, prior to the cutting operation on the stiff hairs, means for flufling up the smooth hairs of the peltafter the cutting operation comprising a rotatable shaft disposed below said supporting means and a plurality of relatively flexible beater elements each fixed at one end thereof to said shaft, and means for rotating said shaft whereby said elements become effective to beat against the pelt to fluff up the fur.

11. In a fur-unhairing machine, cutting means. means for supporting a pelt and moving it with respect to the cutting means whereby the latter may cut the stiff or water hairs of the pelt, means for driving said cutting means, means for increasing the rate of movement of said supporting means subsequent to completion of the hair cutting operation by the cutting means, and! 

